Ranking the top 10 Canucks prospects, part 1: No. 10 to No. 6, plus honourable mentions

Later this week the Vancouver Canucks will host the annual Penticton Young Stars tournament in the Okanagan. It’s a showcase event for the four Western Canadian clubs, and an event that has prominently featured a large number of future NHL stars — from Connor McDavid to Matthew Tkachuk to Elias Pettersson to Mark Scheifele — in previous seasons. This year, for the first time in a while, the Canucks will have a high-end prospect to track closely in Penticton with Jonathan Lekkerimäki expected to participate.

Advertisement The Canucks’ overall prospect pipeline has had an infusion of talent over the past few years, the result of a couple of stellar trades and a pair of early first-round picks during miserable seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The system, however, is still thin and lacking in high-quality depth. The Athletic ’s Corey Pronman recently ranked Vancouver’s prospect system 28th in the NHL.

There are nonetheless some intriguing young players coming up through the ranks, and the organization is hopeful several players appearing in our top 10 will make a solid accounting of themselves at training camp and push for roster spots soon — either this fall, down the stretch or in future seasons. Using Calder Trophy eligibility as our definition of prospect (under 25 NHL games played and under the age of 25), let’s rank the top 10 Canucks prospects (and honorable mentions) in advance of the 2024-25 season. Honorable Mentions Danila Klimovich , RW, Abbotsford Canucks: Klimovich’s North American professional career has been waylaid by injuries and inconsistency.

The 21-year-old Belarusian winger, however, remains extremely big, creative and gifted. This might be a make-or-break season for him in the Canucks organization. There was certainly internal talk back in the spring about whether or not he’d be best served by a change of scenery, but the two sides have committed to continuing to work together.

The clock is ticking, but if Klimovich could ever stay healthy and put it all together, there’s a lot to like about his skillset, tools and overall profile. Anthony Romani , C/RW, North Bay Battalion: A difficult omission from the top 10 given his ridiculously promising scoring profile, Romani represented exceptional value for the Canucks when selected in the sixth round at the 2024 draft. Viewed by the industry as a creative but perimeter-oriented offensive producer, Canucks scouts believe there’s an ability to get inside, and improvement in this area is what led to his offensive breakout in the OHL last season.

Advertisement Vilmer Alriksson, LW, Guelph Storm: A towering winger, Alriksson casts a large shadow given his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame. But he isn’t just a coke machine big-bodied type. Through his D+1 production at the OHL level was pedestrian, Alriksson genuinely possesses some encouraging tools, including promising puck skills and decent feet — especially when weighted for a man his size.

Josh Bloom, LW, Saginaw Spirit: Bloom attempted to turn pro last season, but he didn’t carve out a full-time home in Abbotsford or the ECHL and returned to major junior as an overage player. It turned out to be an excellent call for the savvy two-way winger, who scored the Memorial Cup-winning goal for the Saginaw Spirit and was a dominant force at that level. Bloom has the speed, size, tenacity and intelligence to profile as a future bottom-six forward, with enough skill to punish mistakes.

The organization is hopeful he’ll take a big step forward and cement himself as a regular in Abbotsford this fall. Linus Karlsson , RW, Abbotsford Canucks: Still just 24 years old, Karlsson spent last season yo-yoing between Abbotsford and Vancouver. He made enough of an impression on Canucks coaches to be thrust into duty as a curveball lineup tweak against the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs, and he acquitted himself well in his playoff appearances.

Skilled, competitive and strong on the puck, there’s still some skepticism whether Karlsson’s foot speed will permit him to carve out an everyday role at the NHL level. Nikita Tolopilo , G, Abbotsford Canucks: Tolopilo — “the Torpedo,” as he’s called internally — enjoyed a really solid, successful first North American professional season in Abbotsford last year. Between him and Artūrs Šilovs , in fact, 24-year-old Tolopilo was arguably the more consistent performer in the Abbotsford crease last season.

Rangy and quiet in his crease, Tolopilo will get a lot of run in Abbotsford this season, especially if injuries cause the Canucks to use Jiří Patera at the NHL level for stretches this season. Kirill Kudryavtsev, LD, Soo Greyhounds: A smooth, intelligent puck-moving defender, Kudryavtsev has been one of the most dependable defenders in the Ontario Hockey League over the past two seasons. An excellent skater with sharp defensive instincts and enough size to hold up at the professional level, Kudryavtsev is an intriguing dark horse prospect in the Canucks system.

He’s set to try and turn professional this fall, and could emerge as a regular contributor in Abbotsford this upcoming season — although he could also return to the OHL for an overage campaign. If Kudryavtsev is legitimately pro-ready this fall, that would be a very good sign for his ability to continue to beat the odds and keep tracking like a potential NHL-level contributor, despite being a seventh-round draft selection. Advertisement Max Sasson , C, Abbotsford Canucks: One of the few natural centres the Canucks have in their system, Sasson’s first full North American professional season was solid.

A strong skater with enough skill and toughness to project into a bottom-six role at the NHL level, Sasson is highly regarded internally and could have an outside shot at playing NHL games this upcoming season given the organization’s lack of bottom-six centre depth. 10. Cole McWard , RHD, Abbotsford Canucks Like most rookie professional players, McWard’s first full season at the AHL level had some ups and downs.

The highs, however, were very high — and included nearly making the Canucks out of training camp, getting into an NHL game in November 2023 and playing a starring role on a tough-minutes pair with Akito Hirose down the stretch and into the Calder Cup playoffs. The lows were roughly what you’d expect from a first-year professional defender. He battled through some inconsistency, especially early in the year.

And certainly you’d like to see McWard, who profiles as a hybrid-type defensive-minded puck mover, produce more offence at the AHL level going forward than he did in his age-22 season. Especially given the frequency with which he factored into the Abbotsford power play. McWard’s overall skating ability, puck-moving intelligence and skill level give him a chance to be an NHL-level contributor for Vancouver down the line.

And it’s worth noting he made significant progress in his first North American professional season. As a college free agent, albeit one of a slightly-younger-than-normal-vintage, however, McWard doesn’t have the same amount of development runway as a drafted player to level up and make an impact. He’s already 23.

Pushing hard to make the NHL roster at training camp this fall, and being one of the most frequently used and most productive defenders in Abbotsford in the first few months of the season, should be a baseline expectation for McWard if he’s going to continue to track as a future NHL contributor. 9. Arshdeep Bains , LW, Abbotsford Canucks Bains was Abbotsford’s best player last season, an AHL all-star and enormously impressive in his brief NHL stint with his attention to detail and exceptional work rate.

It was a phenomenal season for the undrafted CHL free agent. Internally, Bains is widely admired for his work ethic and drive. His habits, in the gym and in preparing for games, are second to none.

That shows in his game, especially with the commendable work rate on little details — like stops and starts away from the puck in the defensive end — which consistently endear Bains to coaches, and will give him an opportunity to contribute at the NHL level going forward. Advertisement While Bains’ defensive game and overall reliability will be key to punching his ticket to the show going forward, he’s skilled enough that he may yet be able to do more than eat minutes in a fourth-line role moving forward. Bains’ awareness as a playmaker was his best attribute as a high-scoring major junior player, especially his absurd collection of spin passes, and while he’s quickly figured out how to wield those skills to provide defensive value (like springing the transition game from the defensive half wall), it’s worth noting he seemed to be playing a more conservative game when he got his shot at the NHL level down the stretch last season.

Putting himself in position to get more NHL reps and getting more comfortable at the top level so he can play his game would seem to be the next developmental step for Bains. He’ll be in tough to make the club out of camp given the club’s heavy investment on the wings, but if he can continue to build off the incredible progress he’s made in his first two professional seasons, it would be foolish to count Bains out. 8.

Riley Pattersson, RW, Barrie Colts A late bloomer selected in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, Pattersson overcame a slow start to his D+1 campaign and broke out on the wing with the Barrie Colts down the stretch last season. Playing mostly with Utah first-rounder cole Cole Beaudoin , Pattersson caught fire. He was named the OHL’s rookie of the month in January and continued to play exceptionally well down the stretch.

Despite never being drafted in the OHL priority draft and considering going the NCAA route, Pattersson’s electric second half to the 2023-24 campaign put him on NHL draft radars. Although Pattersson is listed as a centre, his breakout came on the wing, where he played almost exclusively throughout last season. There are some talent evaluators in the industry that believe Pattersson has the versatility to stick at centre at the professional level, but as a general rule, if a prospect isn’t a full-time centre in major junior, they’re unlikely to be at the AHL or NHL levels.

While Pattersson’s statistical profile suggests he’s got an outside shot at carving out a Connor Brown or Daniel Paille-type productive role at the NHL level going forward, his pace and motor remain question marks for some NHL scouts going forward. 7. Melvin Fernström , RW, Örebro HK Jr.

Vancouver’s first selection at the 2024 draft, made in the third-round, Fernström was a dynamic scorer at the Swedish J20 level last season, crushed the U18 tournament and earned a brief cup of coffee with Örebro HK of the SHL, the same team Lekkerimäki starred for last season. Advertisement Fernström’s most professional-level tool is his shot and he tends to be a shoot-first winger type stylistically, but various scouts polled by The Athletic about Fernström’s game suggested he’s well-rounded enough as an attacking forward to provide some defensive and playmaking utility as he develops. Like any prospect, he’ll have to improve his skating stride and strength, and there are some industry concerns about his overall motor and work rate, although it was widely noted by scouts during draft season that Fernström’s work rate spiked as he moved up from the J20 level to the SHL.

Statistically, Fernström was productive at the J20 level, although most players that produced at a similar clip in their first draft-eligible season and went onto carve out a significant role at the NHL level — William Karlsson , Alex Steen, Lars Eller — did so as defensive-minded players rather than as big-time offensive contributors. This suggests that for Fernström to hit, continuing to round out his two-way game will be essential to track as future NHL-level contributor in Vancouver. 6.

Sawyer Mynio, LHD, Seattle Thunderbirds A third-pair penalty killing specialist for a loaded Thunderbirds team, the Canucks selected Mynio in the third round of the 2023 draft. When Seattle ’s star-studded roster graduated to the professional level or moved away to other teams last year, however, Mynio was thrust into a more prominent role and took full advantage. Mynio’s offensive production, and especially his goal scoring, spiked significantly in his D+1 campaign.

He increased his haul of power-play goals, for example, from one in 2022-23 to 11 last season. That’s a solid sign Mynio has some quality offensive instincts, which matters even if he’s unlikely to project as an offensive defender in the professional ranks. It’s worth remembering the best defensive specialists at the NHL level tended to be dominant junior-level scorers.

Dan Hamhuis, for example, was a point-per-game player in the WHL and despite his exceptionally steady two-way play over the course of his storied NHL career, he never hit 40 points at the NHL level. That context is worth keeping in mind, but it remains true Mynio tracked solidly in his D+1 season. He’ll attend his second NHL training camp this fall, and while he’ll surely be reassigned to the WHL level for his age-19 season, Mynio has put himself on the radar as a credible prospect with a solid defensive projection and perhaps even some fringe top-four upside at the NHL level if he can continue to expand his offensive dynamism.

(Top photo of Arshdeep Bains: Derek Cain / Getty Images).